2023 Concacaf Gold Cup Group D
Guatemala vs. Canada
Saturday, July 1 at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT
PNC Stadium in Houston, Texas
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A lot of ink has been spilled on the bad and the ugly around the Canadian men’s national team of late, so it is perhaps time to focus on the good for a minute.

Being booed at BMO Field after a disheartened 2-2 draw after conceding a stoppage-time goal against non-FIFA nation Guadeloupe probably wasn’t the dream start to the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup. But it was just that, the start. No team is ever defined by the first match of a competition.

Canada, after all, drew 1-1 with Honduras in a nervy match at BMO Field to open their successful 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign. Argentina were stunned by Saudi Arabia to open the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It is not how you start these competitions but how you finish.

With that being said, the pressure on Canada at this competition is now higher than ever, while the margin of error has shrunk significantly. This team will still be expected to top the group, but will now need a win against Guatemala in Houston on Saturday to even put themselves in a position to advance out of Group D.

Most pressingly, though, this will be a chance for the side to show a response after its most disappointing result — and perhaps performance — in multiple years. With so much noise around the national team right now, blocking that out and getting the job done under pressure would say a lot about this group.

RELATED: Canada stunned by late equalizer in Gold Cup draw vs. Guadeloupe

Guatemala, who are currently ranked 116th in the World, and 12th in Concacaf, have a side mostly made up of players from their domestic league. However, they have recruited some real quality in recent years including a few names who will no doubt be familiar to Canadian supporters.

First and foremost, 26-year-old CF Montréal fullback Aaron Herrera, who recently switched after being capped once by the United States. The Gold Cup roster also features 31-year-old Championship winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing of Derby County and another former US international who has since filed a one-time switch, attacker Rubio Rubin of Real Salt Lake.

Rubin, however, was injured and had to be replaced after just 11 minutes and is unlikely to be available against Canada. His replacement, Darwin Lom recovered from a missed penalty to score the side’s lone goal against Cuba in a 1-0 win to open their tournament — a result that has them top of Group D as it stands. Guatemala thoroughly dominated Cuba in that match, and look to be an energetic side that will cause real problems for Canada.

Canada and Guatemala have met in the Gold Cup once previously, with Canada winning 3-0 in the quarter-finals of the 2007 tournament. Interestingly, Canada actually lost to Guadeloupe in the group stage of that tournament but ended up finishing top of their group and reaching the semifinals where THAT controversial Atiba Hutchinson offside call against the United States denied Canada a potential spot in the final.

Canada’s last match against Guatemala came in 2015 friendly, with Les Rouges taking home a 1-0 win courtesy of a goal from former Pacific/Cavalry FC attacker Marcus Haber, a goal set up by Forge FC captain Kyle Bekker.

Guatemala has only ever defeated Canada twice in their history, but both have been significant. They eliminated Canada from World Cup following in the cycle following Canada’s 1986 World Cup qualification campaign. Then they again beat them in qualifying during the 2006 cycle.

As Canada is looking to build on their second-ever World Cup appearance, a similarly poor result against Guatemala would be a big blow to the program’s progress.

Over the course of John Herdman’s time as national team head coach, Canada have consistently won matches like this — the one’s they are expected to win within the region. That is both what made the draw against Guadeloupe result so shocking, and also why it is so important that they follow that up quickly with the type of performance that ‘New Canada’ has consistently delivered.

PROJECTED STARTING XIs

Guatemala: Hagen; Herrera, Pinto, Gordillo, Ardón; Castellanos, Saravia; Mendez-Laing, Galindo, Garcia; Lom

Canada: St. Clair; Laryea, Zator, Kennedy, Miller, Millar; Loturi, Ahmed, Osorio; Hoilett, Brym

ALL-TIME SERIES

Guatemala wins: 2 || Canada wins: 7 || Draws: 1

Previous meeting:

March 27, 2015 — Canada 1-0 Guatemala

MATCH OFFICIALS